Breathe Your Last
by GetWithIt
Summary: Michaela died. Now, as Karin, she's got the chance to live again. Too bad there's always a catch. AU. SI/OC.
1. In Transition

**EDIT(7/23/2014) - THIS IS MOSTLY THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL, BUT STILL DIFFERENT ENOUGH THAT IT SHOULD BE READ AGAIN FOR THE REST OF THE STORY TO MAKE SENSE.**

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_**A/N: **__Okay, okay. I realize I haven't updated NLOL, but I have a good feeling about this one! This is a similar idea (with the whole reincarnation thing) but will be a more serious take on your average SI/OC-insert._

_Anyway, this was inspired by all those fics where an OC-insert takes the place of a main character. I thought I'd do my own version with a more obscure (yet still important) character._

_Enjoy!_

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"Ouch, mom! That _hurt_!" Karin cradled her stinging digits to her chest and scowled at her mother.

"Good. Maybe next time you'll think twice before you try to get into the food before dinner," the woman griped irritably. The wooden spoon she'd used to smack Karin's reaching fingers slid back into her apron's front pocket.

Karin spared a glare for the bulge in the white fabric that was her mother's favorite weapon before looking up with wide, imploring eyes. "But mom," she said innocently, "I was going to eat everything I touched!"

"That's not the point I was trying to make and you know it," Chiaki scolded. "When dinner is done and your father gets home we'll eat, but not until then." Her face softened at Karin's pout. "You can play with Luka in the meantime, I'm sure he wants to wish you a happy birthday."

Karin heaved a dramatic sigh, "Fine. Just don't let dad eat all the strawberries before I get back." Her mother nodded absently and turned back to the sink to rinse the vegetables. Karin, satisfied that her strawberries were safe, darted out of the kitchen to find her shoes. She didn't much enjoy wearing them when the weather was so warm, but her mother could be downright scary when it came to manners and hygiene. Apparently, running around barefoot was neither polite nor sanitary.

Once the dreadful things were on Karin paused to focus before smiling and running for the copse of trees behind her home. She jumped over roots and dodged branches until she reached the small clearing that separated the crescent-shaped thicket from the rest of the woods.

"Luka!" When there was no answer she huffed a laugh and ran over to the wooden structure at the center of the clearing. "Luka! I know you're there, come out already!"

There was a muffled shuffling noise and a little boy's head popped up in the small window before he ducked back down, giggling. "Hey!" Karin yelled. "I saw you!" There was no answer, only more laughter coming from the miniature house. "_Luka! _I can hear you!"

"No you can't!"

Karin rolled her eyes at his ridiculousness and walked over to the tiny building. Ever so slowly she leaned over the windowsill to stare down at the boy crouched beneath it. His eyes were closed and he had his arms over his head, as if that would prevent her from seeing him. Karin sucked in a deep breath and leaned even closer, "BOO!"

She had to jerk back quickly to avoid having her nose broken, but she deemed it worth the shrill scream that escaped him. She took one look at Luka's wide eyes and frantic breathing and promptly cracked up. "You - you..." she gasped, "you screamed just like a little girl!"

"I did not!" His indignation was clear on his face and Karin toned down her amusement so as not to push him too far. The last thing she wanted to deal with was a tantrum on her birthday.

Once certain she wouldn't break out into hysterical laughter anymore, Karin wiped a stray tear discretely and gave her friend a smile. "Sure, sure, you gave a very manly shout," she assured, "I was only teasing."

Appeased at last, Luka returned her smile before rushing to the flimsy door to the left of the window and flung it open. Karin shifted her feet and bent slightly just in time to avoid toppling when he threw his arms around her. "Happy birthday Karin!" He grinned widely, showing off an adorable set of dimples - at least according to Karin's mother. "We're finally the same age!"

"Yup! Oh, I forgot," Karin pulled her sleeve back to show off her wrist. "Thanks for the birthday gift - it's really great!"

Luka stepped closer. "Oh good! I was hoping Lisa dropped it off this morning." He pointed to the top of her wrist. "Dad helped me with this part. He took a knife and cut two lines in the leather so we could braid it, but _I_ carved the beads on the end. I only added one on each end of the tie so that every year I can give you a new one!"

Karin blinked in surprise. "Wow! That's a really good idea Luka, I like it even more now!"

"I knew you would, I'm an awesome gift-giver," he boasted.

"I don't know," Karin mused. "Your dad's the one who built our play-house for your birthday last year." She motioned to the miniature, two-story house less than three feet away. "I think that's just a teeny, tiny bit more awesome than your awesome present."

Luka pouted. "Okay, okay," he admitted, "My dad is a great gift-giver. But I bet I'll be an even _better_ one when I grow up! It's just gonna take some time is all."

Karin nodded her agreement. "You're probably right. Now let's play! I've been working on my doggy bark _and_ it's my birthday so I say we pretend that we're a pack of wild dogs this time."

"Okay!" Luka's face lit up in a smile, "How about we pretend that we're hunting dinner when a storm comes so we have to look for shelter - "

"And the play-house can be an abandoned cabin in the woods that we find - "

"Oh! Oh! How about the house is haunted! With - with - "

"With the ghost of a man who died of a broken heart when his brother ran off with his wife!" Karin interjected excitedly. Admittedly, she'd gotten that from something she'd heard her mother talking about with the baker's wife, but it worked as well as anything else.

"Yeah! And so he's really angry all the time and tries to scare us away. Then we have to fight back in a huge battle with all our other animal friends and send him to the afterlife!"

"Uh-huh. Only, instead of sending him to the afterlife - how about we make him realize how silly he's been when we defeat him and he goes peacefully!"

Luka adopted a thoughtful look before nodding. "Works for me!"

Soon they were running around on all fours, laughing and barking at nothing and everything. They took turns playing the ghost so that whoever was still a wild dog could fake beat him up with cool moves and crazy sound-effects. It was the same thing Karin and Luka always did when they played together. While the situations were always changing, the games were always exciting and fast paced. They got a _little_ too excited when they got to the fight with the ghost and ended up defeating him too quickly. Not wanting to go home just yet, Karin convinced Luka to be the prince in a new game where he had to protect his country from a mighty red dragon.

"Rawr! I've come to steal your princess," Karin growled. "Hand her over or I'll eat you!"

"Never!" cried Luka as he took of running for his 'castle'. Karin pursued him at a steady pace, giving Luka enough time to run inside and climb the steps to the second floor. He leaned out the window to call down to her, "You'll never get in! I've locked the gate!"

Karin, with flushed cheeks and bright eyes shouted back, "Nothing can stop me! I'm a dragon and I can fly!" With that said she started scaling the little building, using the windowsill on the first floor as a step. She reached up to the second floor window and pulled herself up slowly, having trouble finding traction against the smooth walls with her muddy shoes.

Luka was still shouting about how she'd never get him when she finally managed to swing a leg over and into the playhouse. The two play fought with imaginary swords and claws, laughing all the while. It wasn't until Karin tried to stand in the window that things started to go wrong.

She'd been crouched on the sill with her hands braced on the frame when the mud from her shoes sent her left foot sliding back and into the air. She let out a startled gasp and released the window frame in an attempt to reach forward and steady herself. Unfortunately, Karin's panic had her moving too abruptly and her right foot slid off the sill in her haste to lean forward. Her chest slammed hard into the sill and knocked the breath from her lungs. Karin only had time to briefly lock wide eyes with Luka before she was falling back.

Her heels hit the ground first, before her momentum took over and the rest of her body followed. She tried to twist around and catch herself, but there simply wasn't enough time. Her left arm ended up twisted beneath her as her torso hit the ground with a surprisingly quiet thud.

Karin blinked in shock for a moment before pain flooded her senses and made her see white. She tried to draw in breath but found herself incapable of inhaling. Suddenly she was sitting up _-crushed- _as smoke billowed in. There was a flash of color _-orange-_ in the corner of her eye and strange sounds pounding at her eardrums. She couldn't breathe _-no air- _and tasted blood in her mouth.

She _screamed._

* * *

_What a curious place, _Karin thought to herself. Barely a moment ago she'd be lying on the ground, in pain, yet suddenly she was sitting in one of the largest oak trees she'd ever seen. There was lush green grass surrounding the base of the tree and a dense forest surrounding it on all sides. Despite this, the forest floor was brightly lit with sunshine.

Karin carefully made her way down to the ground and stood at the base of the oak. "Hello? Is anyone there?" She noted the eerie silence and raised her voice, "Mom? Dad?"

When she received no response Karin shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling less wonder and more fear towards her surroundings. Sniffling pathetically she made to sit down and cry when a flash of orange distracted her. It reminded her of what she'd seen just before passing out.

She stepped closer to examine the ground, forgetting to be upset in the face of her new discovery. There, in the grass, was a sparkling sphere - one so tiny she was surprised she'd glimpsed it. Karin was just about to reach out and touch it when she realized she could already _feel_ it. Similar to the way she could feel her parents and Luka and all the other people she knew, yet also dissimilar.

When she _felt _the sphere she didn't immediately think - _person _\- but simultaneously she couldn't identify it as anything else. The feeling she got was insubstantial, like what she imagined a spirit would feel like to her senses, a person without a body. The feeling was also strangely familiar, as if she'd felt it many times before.

Leaning closer, Karin realized that what she'd thought was a tiny sphere was actually a minuscule drop of water. She reached out to touch it, only to jerk back when she felt as though someone had blown on the back of her neck. After casting a wary glance behind her Karin reached towards the drop of water again. This time, there was no strange feeling to accompany her touch.

Feeling a little bit silly, Karin was about to forget all about the water droplet when she noticed something wasn't quite right. Her finger had sunk all the way to the knuckle! Now, at four years old Karin was aware that she didn't know everything, but she was fairly sure that things weren't supposed to bigger on the inside than they were on the outside.

Enthralled, she reached deeper. From what she could tell, there was a pool of water beneath the soil - the droplet being the only hint as to its existence. Karin began to dig around the droplet with her fingers a little frantically. Almost in a trance, Karin dug, and dug, and dug until she was kneeling before a small pool.

_Strange, _she thought. She didn't quite understand how that had worked, but pushed the thought aside in favor of rinsing the dirt from her hands. The spring she'd created rippled as she once more disrupted its surface, flashing orange periodically. Curious now, Karin stilled her movements and leaned over so that her face hovered above the water.

The ripples steadily faded, leaving behind a glassy, mirror-like surface. Karin stared uncomprehendingly for a moment before realizing what was so wrong with the image before her. There was no reflection. Rather, there was, the pool just lacked _her _reflection. She could see the trees and blue sky reflected from above, but none of the tell-tale red hair she was known for. Karin leaned closer until the tip of her nose was nearly touching the liquid._ 'Where am I?'_

A split second later Karin was flailing, having overestimated her balance. She tipped forward and into the pool, scrunching her eyes shut just before hitting the water.

* * *

'_Brrinng. Brrinng.'_ Michaela gripped the steering wheel tighter in an effort to ignore her phone. She wasn't going to tempt fate by answering while she drove. Having her license for only a year was _not_ a good enough reason to attempt talking and driving.

'_Brrinng!' _She groaned aloud. "Please, please stop calling me already!" A beat of silence followed her desperate plea and she grinned smugly – only to have her lips twitch back into a frown when it sounded again.

Determined to ignore it, Michaela turned up the radio and focused on searching for her exit. Luckily, she caught a glimpse of a sign proclaiming 34B was only six miles up. A moment later her phone stopped its incessant buzzing and beeping.

Relieved, Michaela spent the next five minutes or so humming quietly along to some song she'd never heard before slowing down to take the curving exit.

Just as she made it halfway around she was able to make out a smoking car stopped on the road ahead of her. There was no space on either side of the car – just two low barriers and trees on either side of the road beyond them. The trees were the reason why Michaela hadn't seen the other car sooner.

Slamming her brakes and hissing curses Michaela realized she wasn't going to stop in time. The man standing beside the car dropped his cell phone and scrambled back towards the smoking vehicle, his mouth moving in what she assumed was a shout. As her car screeched closer she noticed there were scared faces in the back seat of the stopped car. "Oh, no… please no…"

Swallowing her panic she swerved to the left in an attempt to avoid killing both the children and herself. Her car, released from the tight turn it had been in, slammed into the concrete barrier before flipping over it altogether. The vehicle ended up flipping twice, leaving it upright when it finally came to a halt against a large tree.

This time smoke was billowing from her car's engine, nearly obscuring the small fire in front of her. A gurgled moan sounded and Michaela realized it was her own. It was as if all her senses had been shut off and restarted and all she could do was suffer through it. Her glasses were miraculously intact, if a bit skewed, and she could tell it was a low hanging tree branch causing the searing pain from the center of her forehead to her right temple.

The front end of her car was smashed in more heavily on the left side and it was with mounting horror that Michaela looked down. She let out a strangled sound when she saw her left leg. Her foot was hidden from view but her knee and shin looked disgustingly flat and bloody beneath the twisted mix of metal and plastic. Through some miracle she couldn't feel it, but that by no means meant she wasn't in pain – far from it, in fact.

Aside from the shattered glass embedded in every visible inch of skin she could see; the door had crumpled so completely that the left side of her rib cage was pinned against the seat. Michaela could tell something was wrong with her lung. She struggled to inhale, choking on blood as she did so. She distractedly noticed the airbag had partially deployed. She doubted it would have helped her even if it had been working correctly.

'_Brrinng! Brrinng!' _A hysterical laugh bubbled up and turned into painful sobbing at the sound of her ringing cell. _I don't think I'm going to be able to answer that anytime soon._

"Hey! Miss! Can you hear me?" Michaela heard the voice above the ringing in her ears and turned her head. Or rather, she tried to. The branch that had broken through the windshield dug a little deeper when she tried to move her head to the left so she settled for cutting her eyes towards the voice.

It was a little hard to see clearly but Michaela managed to make out the man's violently orange hair through the blood and smoke obscuring her vision. It was the same man whose car had been blocking the exit. She even caught a glimpse of his two children a little ways away.

"It's going to be okay." His voice was strained and Michaela knew without a doubt he was lying. There was a certain amount of desperation to his voice that left no room for doubt. "I've called an ambulance – they'll fix you up. You're going to be fine."

Trying her utmost to focus while her vision faded in and out, Michaela struggled to remain conscious. Suddenly she was so, _so_ afraid. _I'm going to die_, she thought with startling clarity. _I'm only seventeen and I'm going to die today._

"…Hey! _Hey! _Stay with me!" She found herself back in the car, no longer lost to that horrible void. She locked eyes with the man again. He had reached through the broken window and across her body to rest his hand on her uninjured shoulder. "My name's Jason. Can you tell me yours?"

"Mi… chaela…" she rasped shallowly; trying to ignore the rising fluid in her lungs. She brought her right hand up to grip Jason's hand on her shoulder, clinging to it. Michaela was sobbing pitifully while simultaneously struggling to breathe. "It… _hurts,_" she choked out.

The best she could do to describe her pain was to say it was unbearable. Michaela kept shifting between the excruciating agony of her injuries and the periods of blackness that signified her lapses in consciousness. The time spent in a stupor only made the pain all the more awful when she returned to it.

Vaguely she realized the man was sobbing right along with her. "Dad? _Dad?!_" It was one of the children from the car. With a monumental effort Michaela focused on the two little girls, one of whom had her dad's bright orange hair. They were clutching each other under a tree a little ways away and the older one – with the orange hair – had a cell phone to her ear. She was holding back the younger girl.

Both were crying pitifully. The brunette couldn't have been older than seven while the other looked to be about twelve or so.

"Stay back girls! It's not safe!" Jason only turned long enough to make sure they were listening before once again focusing on Michaela. He went back to choking out reassurances and platitudes. "…_Dammit!_ Where's the ambulance?!"

"They say it's really close!" His daughter called out through her tears. Michaela jerked her eyes open and used every last bit of her strength to cling to the hand still gripping her shoulder. The pain was fading, becoming more distant and focusing on staying awake became even harder.

The panic she had felt at being unable to breathe started to fade away along with the pain. _Is this it?_ Michaela's right eye was completely obscured with blood now and each breath she took was wet and left her choking. The fire at the front of her car looked like it was steadily dying and she could hear the telltale buzzing of her phone coming from the floor on the passenger side. Even fainter were the sounds of horns and shouts coming from the road.

"…Michaela! Breathe with me! You're going to be just fine. Can you hear it? The ambulance is close. You can hear the sirens if you focus…" But Michaela couldn't focus – not with the way her mind was drifting. She could no longer speak through the fluid in her airways but she tried to mouth the words she wanted to say to this man. _Thank you for staying with me. Thank you. It's okay. I'm dying, I'm scared, but it's okay. Thank you._

And then Jason was gone. Michaela had no clue whether she was dead or merely unconscious; she only knew that oblivion wasn't so bad compared to the pain she'd been in before.

She lost all sense of self. There was only peace, but no conscious thought to disrupt her rest. No sense of time invaded her existence in the void until it was all unexpectedly ripped from her.

She felt as though she was being strangled by a snake. Whatever surrounded her weak and feeble body had it in a vice grip. A cacophony of sounds pounded at her eardrums but she ignored it in favor of the other sensations overwhelming her body. She could feel fluid in her mouth and it brought her unwillingly back to the accident. She lost herself in panic as she frantically spit and coughed until she was free to breath, to gasp, to scream –

And then suddenly the rest of her body was free and she felt as though she was falling through the air. She supposed she wasn't actually falling – she never hit the ground – but she felt the same level of exposure. The air stung her sensitive skin and she felt pressure in odd places, like she was hitting things on the way down.

Then her head was cradled in something large, yet not unyielding. What felt like a massive rag rubbed roughly at her eyes and nose, clearing them of disgusting fluids. Michaela tried to flail even as she continued wailing and screaming at the top of her lungs. Unfortunately her flailing was put to a halt when some sort of fabric bound her body – encasing her.

It was horrible.

The feelings of helplessness, fatigue, fear, and whatever else she was feeling and couldn't put a finger to were drowning her, much like the fluids had earlier. Soon even her wailing had to end when she realized how short of breath she was.

None of the resignation to her fate from earlier remained. Before, she had been eager to escape the pain; now, she fought to live. She couldn't feel any of the injuries she'd sustained in the accident – she reveled in that fact even whilst she struggled against her restraints.

Unexpectedly, she felt movement again. Even with her eyes open she couldn't make out more than blurs and an excessive amount of white. The sensation of movement came to an abrupt end when she was transferred to another strange, moving surface.

Her sniffles and whimpers – all that was left of her earsplitting shrieks – died down a bit in her exhaustion. Michaela realized belatedly her adrenalin rush had run its course and settled for sleeping it off in the hopes that when she woke up, things would make sense.

And so she slept.


	2. Revelations

**EDITED (7/28/14) - READ THIS CHAPTER AND THE ONE BEFORE IT AGAIN BEFORE CONTINUING TO CHAPTER 3!**

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**_A/N: _**_Here's chapter two! If you find any mistakes or think I should elaborate on something feel free to let me know. Also, just so you know, I'm going to try to keep every chapter from this point on above or around 5,000 words - my other stories have really short chapters and it annoys me. Enjoy!_

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"Karin!" Michaela jerked internally when her new name broke through the haze of unconsciousness. "Karin, it's time to wake up." Michaela groaned at the sound of her mother's voice and burrowed deeper into her bed. She was just about to drift off when she heard a huff and her blanket was ripped from her.

Michaela automatically curled into a ball even as she opened her eyes to glare at her mother. The light blinded her for a moment, but the pain served to wake her up fully. _Karin_ grumbled a bit about inconsiderate women before she saw the look on her mom's face. "What is it?"

"How are you feeling sweetie? Does anything hurt?" Her mom tucked a wisp of deep red, nearly burgundy, hair behind her ear and leaned forward to examine Karin's left arm.

Karin frowned in confusion. "No, nothing hurts. Why would it?"

"Don't you remember?" Karin shook her head. "Luka had to come get us. You were climbing on the playhouse - which you should know is dangerous," she paused to shoot an intimidating glare at Karin. "Anyway, you fell and got hurt pretty badly."

As her mom spoke images flashed into Karin's mind. She winced. "I remember now." And she did. She remembered the terrible moment where she realized she was falling, the fall itself, and then hitting the ground, _hard_. Something fainter, less substantial hovered at the edge of her consciousness, but the four year old ignored it in favor of focusing on the accident. Karin gulped a bit in anticipation and gently bent and straightened her seemingly undamaged left arm. "I could have sworn I broke my arm when I fell..."

"You did." Karin jerked her head up in shock. Her mom looked completely serious.

"How long have I been asleep? Days? _Weeks_?!" Karin jumped out of bed and swiveled her head back and forth, as if expecting something in her room to indicate how long it'd been. "How long does it take for broken bones to heal anyway?"

For the first time since Karin woke her mother cracked a smile. "No sweetie - it's only been a day. And you didn't just break an arm. You also sprained an ankle and nearly fractured a rib."

Karin froze and looked down at her body. It was completely whole and healthy. She was standing next to her bed with no pain to speak of. She glanced suspiciously at her mother. "Are you messing with me?"

This time Karin's mother didn't just smile, she laughed. "Nope. I promise I'm not messing with you." Karin stared at her mom in disbelief; she didn't know much about medicine, but when Luka's older sister broke her arm it took weeks to heal. Her mom just shook her head fondly and reached down to scoop Karin up. "Come on, your dad and I will explain while we eat a late breakfast."

The two entered the kitchen where Karin squirmed until she was let down from her mom's hip. She clambered onto her chair as her mom moved to put breakfast on the table.

"Hey princess," Karin's dad flashed her a boyish grin as he sat down. "How're you feeling this morning?"

"Um, fine I think." She glanced at her mom uncertainly. "But I'm still a little confused about that."

"It's okay sweetie. We're going to explain a few things to you." Karin's mom turned to her husband. "Do you want to? Or should I?"

Kaito grimaced in an uncharacteristic fashion. "Sorry, but I don't think I'm up to it." He glanced down at his hands and tightened them into fists. "If you can explain the... situation with our family I can explain the rest."

Chiaki leaned over and placed a comforting hand on her husband's shoulder. "That's fine." Karin watched the strange display with wide eyes. Her parents were hardly ever this serious, especially around her. She wondered what could have brought this on. How could her good health have anything to do with some family secret? Why would it make her dad so visibly upset?

"Karin," her mother began - breaking the girl from her thoughts. "I'm going to tell you things about us, about our family and you, that you're going to have to keep a secret. Can you promise me you won't tell anyone what you learn here today?"

Karin wanted to ask why, but she could tell in the long run it wouldn't make a difference. When her mother took that tone, you obeyed - no questions asked. Karin adopted the gravest expression she could at her age and nodded. "I promise."

"Good." Her mom took a deep breath. "The first thing you need to know is that your father and I were not born in Grass. Both of us come from a country that no longer exists." Karin nodded to show she understood. "Our nation consisted of three neighboring islands, each with cities and towns of their own. We were small, but our military was highly skilled and our allies formidable." A strange expression stole over Chiaki's face before she shook herself and continued. "The islands themselves were surrounded by swirling tides and eddies, giving us an impressive natural defense as well as our name."

"Name?" Karin asked. She knew the names of all the countries that bordered Grass, but she'd never heard of any destroyed nations before.

"Whirlpool," said Chiaki. "We're from the country formerly known as Whirlpool. A swirl even became the symbol of our most prominent family and eventually, our military."

"Okay, but what does all this have to do with me getting hurt and waking up healed?" She could tell her mom was trying to go somewhere with all this, she just didn't know where.

"Trust me, you'll see in a minute," her mom insisted. "Anyway, just like Grass, our country had a large military capital. This capital was located at the center of our largest island and was referred to as the Village Hidden in Whirlpools. It was where those who joined our military were trained and stationed. One day, our enemies joined up to attack Whirlpool and attempted to overwhelm us through superior numbers.

"A lot of people were hurt badly and even more died. Because they attacked our military first, no one was able to come to the defense of the other islands - the units stationed there were easily overpowered. We had back-up defenses of course, but instead of destroying our enemies we destroyed ourselves." Her voice cracked a bit and Karin nearly jumped when her dad let out a frustrated noise. "Entire settlements were wiped out and very few managed to escape.

"Some of the survivors met up, some didn't, but eventually life went on. Many went to live in the Fire, as they'd always been our closest and strongest ally. Others moved elsewhere to start over. Of the survivors, the ones who were members of the prominent family I mentioned before, the Uzumaki, had to be especially careful of where they ended up and who they shared their identities with."

Karin was confused. "Why would they have to hide their identities?"

"Well, we live in a world where everyone is constantly trying to get revenge. Nearly eighty percent of Whirlpool's population was made up of those with Uzumaki blood. Even those from other countries could recognize a member by their distinctive red hair and incredible vitality. Members of the clan knew they could be targeted by anyone who wanted revenge on Whirlpool or the Uzumaki. So they went into hiding and avoided using their clan name."

The pieces came together and Karin's eyes widened in surprise. "Are we part of that family?"

"We are," her mom confirmed.

"I still don't see what that has to do with the healing thing though," Karin ventured.

Kaito spoke up. "I can explain the rest." Chiaki stared at him as if to make sure before nodding slowly and reaching for the fruit at the center of the table. As his wife started to eat Karin's dad shifted in his seat so that he was directly facing his daughter. "The Uzumaki family, _our _family, was considered a clan because it was so large," Kaito explained.

"Some clans only share a name or things like physical traits, while others also share special skills." Kaito stared off into the distance as if the walls held some sort of answer. "The Uzumaki," he began after a lengthy pause, "Aside from their vibrant red hair, had what your mother referred to as 'incredible vitality' . Members of the clan were known for their recuperative powers and incredibly long lifespans. Because of this, they were the ideal soldiers."

Karin tilted her head in confusion. Her dad, unlike her mother, often forgot that Karin, for all her intelligence, was still only a child. "What does 're-cupe-er-a-tive' mean?"

Kaito sighed in exasperation and dodged the slice of apple Chiaki threw at him in response. "When I said recuperative powers I meant their ability to heal." Karin pointed to herself. "Yes, Karin, just like you did." He reached out and gently touched Karin's arm. "You broke your arm, sprained your ankle, and bruised your side badly yesterday." His lips quirked into a smile. "Yet today you stand whole and healthy, not a single sign of injury to be seen."

"So everyone in our family can heal like me? Even you and mom?" Karin looked between her parents, neither had any visible scars that she knew of.

"Well, not exactly," her dad amended. "While most Uzumaki heal faster and more efficiently than the average person, there are some clan members who heal at utterly ridiculous rates - like you and me."

"Why are we different?"

Karin's dad shrugged. "I'm not sure, but it's probably because I come from a long line of shinobi." Before Karin could even voice her question Kaito made to answer her. "A shinobi is the term for a someone in the military who uses their life-energy to fight. All the nation's armies are made up of them. Anyway," he said. "Having so much life-energy, or chakra, runs in families. My parents and grandparents had a lot of chakra so I have a lot. And you," he patted Karin's head. "Have a lot because I have a lot."

"Okay," Karin said slowly. "So let me get this straight - I healed overnight from a broken arm because you two come from a fallen country that was filled with our red-haired, super-healing family members and I have to keep this a secret from everyone else because there are still people hunting the survivors?"

Chiaki and Kaito shared a look. "Pretty much," they chorused.

"Right," Karin sighed. "Can I go back to bed now?"

* * *

Luka looked Karin up and down before smiling in relief. "I'm glad you're okay," he said seriously. "When I ran to get your mom she said you'd be fine, but I didn't really believe her since you wouldn't wake up at first."

Karin laughed lightly. "Yeah, it must've been pretty scary. My mom says I fainted from the shock y'know?" She felt a little bad for lying to her best friend, but she also felt a little bit thrilled to have a big, important secret.

"Wow, I didn't even know that was possible," Luka grinned suddenly, "At least this means we can still play normally! I'll race you to the playground!" With that he took off running.

"Hey! No fair! You got a head-start!"

* * *

"Karin! It's lovely to see you. Are you here to pick up your mom's tea?" The middle-aged woman set her baby in his basket and beckoned the girl to the back of her store without waiting for an answer.

"Yes," Karin lowered her voice to avoid waking Gio. "She was busy gathering medicinal plants for flu season and asked me to come instead."

Sora pulled the box of tea leaves down from its shelf and pressed it into Karin's waiting arms. "Good. We'll sorely need it if this year is anything like the last." The woman leaned down and took Karin's face in her hands. "Speaking of illnesses, are you feeling all right? I've never seen you quite so pale or tired looking. Usually you and that Luka boy are nothing but bundles of energy."

"I, uh, I haven't been sleeping very well," Karin admitted. "Did you hear about how I nearly broke an arm a few weeks ago?"

"I did."

"Well, since then I've been having really strange dreams. It makes it hard for me to stay asleep at night." Karin flashed a reassuring smile at the woman she considered her aunt in all but blood. "I think the accident scared me a little bit. It's getting better though," she hastened to say when Sora frowned. "I'm not having them as often anymore." _More like I'm learning to act like they don't bother me, _Karin thought somewhat guiltily. But she really didn't want to worry her mother's friend. Sora had her baby to look out for already.

The frown didn't disappear, but Karin thought that the older woman's expression lightened just a bit. "Even so, I don't suppose you would say no to a brew that aids with deeper, dreamless rest?"

Karin smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Aunt Sora."

* * *

Karin woke up with a violent shudder, jerking upright in her bed. It was the third time in as many hours that she'd been forcibly thrust from her rest. "I can't, I can't, I can't..." She mumbled blearily while trying hard not to shake. She anxiously licked her lips and tasted salt - _When did I start crying?_

The dreams faded as she woke up, leaving Karin with only her tears and a vague sense of unease. When she tried to recall just what had upset her so, all she saw were unfamiliar faces and flashes of color.

* * *

"Karin! Karin! Snap out of it!" Kaito shook his daughter's shoulder more vigorously and tried to swallow his panic. _I can't lose... Not another... please no!_

He didn't understand how things could have gone so wrong. Karin, ever since she'd fallen and gotten hurt, had been complaining of vivid dreams. He'd been sure that meditation would calm her. Karin herself had been excited at the prospect, though that could have been in part due to the fact that he promised he'd start teaching her how to manipulate chakra to accomplish otherwise impossible physical feats if she mastered it.

So they'd sat down and he'd gone over the basics of meditation. He hadn't expected her to get it so quickly, but he supposed that with her acute sensitivity to chakra it was probably a lot easier to reach for the spiritual half.

At first, he'd been proud. He stood back and waited for his daughter to finish meditating. Then, after twenty minutes had passed he decided that it had been long enough. He'd called Karin's name and gently shook her shoulder, expecting her to break free from her trance. It hadn't worked.

Somehow, on her first try, Karin had gotten stuck in deep meditation. Kaito fought down his instinctual panic and tried to focus on the present. He ignored the flashbacks to his brothers and cleared his mind. It was then, at last, that an idea struck him.

Carefully pooling chakra in his fingertips, Kaito reached out and took hold of Karin's left arm. Gently, so as not to overwhelm her, Kaito began to inject his chakra into Karin's system.

Karin stiffened immediately. He waited with baited breath as his daughter shuddered violently and nearly shook with relief when her eyes flew open. "Dad?" She locked eyes with Kaito, looking older and wearier than he'd ever seen her. "I'm tired," she mumbled as she tipped forward. He caught her around the waist and scooped her up. "Gonna sleep." With that, her head fell onto his shoulder and her body went limp.

_What in the world just happened?_

* * *

"Mom, dad, can I talk to you for a minute?" Karin called as she shut the front door behind her. A few days had passed since the meditation incident, and Karin was finally ready.

"Sure sweetheart, we're in the living room." She followed the sound of her mother's voice and sat down in the chair across from the couch. Her mom had put her book down and her dad had shifted so he was sitting upright.

Pushing aside all her emotions Karin took a deep breath and, after a moment of hesitation, spoke: "Do you remember when I fell from the playhouse and broke my arm?"

Kaito stared down at his four year old daughter in mild confusion. "Yes, I remember when you broke your arm. It was about a month ago. What about it?"

Karin looked everywhere but at her parents. "You know that since then I've been having these... dreams. Only, they're not really dreams," she confessed.

Chiaki and Kaito shared a worried glance before focusing their attention on Karin. "What do you mean?"

Karin took a deep breath, thinking back on what had happened when she'd meditated. She'd recognized the strange surroundings as the place she'd gone to after the accident, only remembering upon seeing it again. She had wondered if she would once again forget it once she woke up.

She didn't. Instead, she remembered every moment with startling clarity.

She recalled entering the pool in her mindscape again, re-experiencing Michaela's death and then shifting from memory to memory. Only remembering who she was in the brief snatches between them. Had her dad not brought her out of it Karin likely would have remained trapped in the images until she'd relived the entirety of Michaela's life.

Karin shuddered before steeling herself. Locking eyes with the wall behind her parents Karin started talking.

* * *

After hours of talking back and forth Karin and her parents finally lapsed into silence. Karin knew there would probably be more questions later, but for now all she wanted to do was go to sleep. She was exhausted emotionally and had burst into tears on three separate occasions while outlining her former life. A quick glance at her parents reveled they were still shaken, if their wide eyes and pale faces were anything to go by. On the verge of tears again Karin tightened her fists and glared at the floor.

"So you were in some sort of accident?" Chiaki asked.

"Yeah," Karin said quietly. "I-I think I _died_." A somber silence followed the proclamation. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"Oh sweetheart! We don't care if this isn't your first life!" Karin yelped in surprise when she was suddenly squished into her mom's arms. "No matter what happens, you'll always be our daughter." The promise shocked Karin. She was once again impressed with the ease at which her mother could read her expressions and find the right words to soothe her fears.

Kaito reached over and ruffled her hair. "Besides, this just means you have an advantage over everyone else your age! There's nothing wrong with that."

Chiaki released her death grip on Karin, but didn't let her daughter leave her lap. "It's actually a bit of a relief."

"A relief? How?" Karin asked.

"Oh sweetheart," Chiaki stroked Karin's shoulder-length hair. "I have to admit, this explains a lot. You've always been really mature, and sometimes you knew about things you couldn't possibly have learned yet, but it wasn't until recently that you worried us. We didn't know why you were suddenly so quiet and withdrawn all of a sudden."

"Yeah," Kaito agreed. "We only want you to be happy. We don't care if you remember your past life. For all we know your mother and I could have been reincarnated as well - we just don't remember it like you do."

"So you're not mad?" Karin looked down and let her bangs cover her eyes. She was afraid that, despite their words, Chiaki and Kaito would see her as the girl who took over their child.

"Of course not," her mother insisted.

"Though I for one would like to hear more about your old life, if you're up to it," Kaito mused. "Another language, technology like what you described, and all those countries I've never heard of - it's really fascinating!"

"I don't mind at all," Karin said with a relieved smile so wide her cheeks ached. "In fact, I've really wanted to talk about it ever since the memories returned. I was so confused when it started," she admitted. "I mean, I still felt like me, but I also remembered being Michaela. She lived so much longer than me that I was afraid I would turn into her, that I wouldn't be _Karin_ anymore." Karin swallowed, remembering the panic she'd felt. "Thankfully that didn't happen. Instead, it's like..." She tried to find the words to describe her situation. "It's like I'm finally _whole_ \- I'm one person, not two. I was Michaela once, but now I'm Karin; I've just got the experiences of both. I'm not Michaela in Karin's body, I'm Karin, formerly known as Michaela."

Chiaki hugged Karin to her chest again. "You must have been so frightened! I wish you would have told us sooner, we would've done our best to help."

Karin teared up suddenly. She was so, _so _glad to have such wonderful parents.

Of course, her dad just _had _to ruin the moment. "Y'know, if you think about it, it's like your an old lady in a kid's body!"

Karin froze in place before turning her head slowly and pinning her father with a flat stare. "Even if you count my first life, I'm still younger than you," she let a tiny smirk form before adding, "O_ld man_."

Her dad opened his mouth to retort, but stopped abruptly when he saw his wife's face. Slowly, cautiously, Karin turned to look up at her mother's face. Chiaki wore a serene smile Karin had only ever seen once before. _Oh-_"Shit," Kaito cursed, taking the words right out of Karin's head. Faster than she could blink, Karin found herself snatched from her mom's lap and tucked under her dad's arm like a football.

He sprinted from the living room as if the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels, with Karin urging him on.

Uzumaki Chiaki was older than her husband by roughly four years. The usually calm and collected woman was _extremely_ sensitive about the fact. Unfortunately for Karin and her dad, they'd both inadvertently implied she was ancient by calling each other old.

Karin only hoped there'd be enough of her left over for a proper burial once Chiaki was through with them.


	3. Cowardice

**A/N: Go back and re-read chapters 1 and 2! I edited them to fit more in line with where I want this story to go. If you've already read them, then enjoy! **(As of August 2014)

_Also, as a side note, I won't be using any sort of honorifics for this fic - not because I don't know them, but because I want to establish the fact that the language spoken is not Japanese. It will have Japanese words, English words, French words, etc. You can probably already guess as to why I would do this in a reincarnation story, but if not, the rest will be revealed later on._

* * *

_Choices, choices. Which choice should I make?_

Karin stretched out on her back and gazed up at the sky. She was eight now, though mentally she figured much older. The memories of her past life were hazier than they'd been at four, but the overall impression of Michaela's life had only strengthened with time (and the somewhat frequent visits to her mindscape). Beliefs, thought processes, and even ingrained fears had transferred over.

And now, a full four years after she'd regained her memories in her first botched attempt at meditation, she was faced with a decision requiring all her accumulated wisdom. According to her parents, it wasn't something she could take lightly - she had to be _absolutely positive_ that whichever choice she made was one she could live with.

She had to choose whether or not to continue her training.

At first, it had just been joining in on her father's somewhat routine meditation sessions to get over her nightmares. Then, once the memories returned, it was about learning to compartmentalize and deal with issues one at a time. After that, well, Karin wasn't entirely sure how she got to this point. Testing her sensing ability seemed only natural when they realized it surpassed her father's. And really, what child (former teenager or not) would turn down learning how to run and jump like some kind of super-hero?

In the end, it had taken Chiaki stepping in for Kaito to acknowledge what he was doing. She'd told Karin's father, in no uncertain terms, that he would sit his daughter down and stress both the benefits and the disadvantages that came with a shinobi lifestyle. And boy, were there disadvantages.

Kaito himself had given up his dreams of becoming a successful shinobi the day his homeland crashed and burned around him as a child. Nowadays, his only use for the skills he'd gained in his youth was to transport goods to and from their small town faster. Well, that and teaching Karin.

Anyone who'd had any sort of training would recognize that his chakra was a little too developed to be just a civilian. Not overly so, of course, but enough that he would always face a little more suspicion from any shinobi with half-decent sensing skills. Thanks to the informal training, Karin was the same. It wasn't a big issue at this point, but should she continue any further no self-respecting shinobi would dismiss her. She'd face intense scrutiny in every military capital she ever entered and the only way to avoid that would be to finish her training in Grass' Hidden Village and fight for her country. Of course, if she did that, Karin would have very little contact with her parents - immigrants had very little in the way of rights, especially in the military capital. Karin wasn't willing give up her relationship with her parents to fight for a country she didn't have much loyalty for. To her, it was only the name of the place she'd been born - nationalism didn't really exist in the small town she lived in.

That left her with two choices. One: to stop training and live her life unable to defend against the bigger threats of the world. Or two: to continue training by seeking out teachers across the Hidden Countries - she wouldn't see her parents very often, but communication through letters and infrequent visits would be possible.

To someone who didn't really want to lost their connection with their parents one sounded like the better option, but... Well, Karin's unique ability to sense chakra made it hard for her to imagine never accessing it again. It was such an important part of her. She'd even come to the conclusion that the pool of water in her mindscape was the base, the heart, of her spiritual chakra. She wouldn't have memories of her time as Michaela if she weren't so in tune with every nuance of her body's physical and spiritual energy.

Besides, option two meant she could travel, see the world; something Michaela never had the chance to do. Despite her parents' easy understanding, Karin struggled with her mental and physical discrepancies. Michaela had been nearing the age where she struck out on her own, becoming more independent with each passing day. When Karin assumed those memories as her own, she'd gained that same longing for self-sufficiency to go along with her childish impulsiveness.

Thankfully, the discrepancies were lessening with every year that passed, restoring some balance to Karin's life. Chiaki and Kaito, being the incredible parents that they were, understood that no matter how young she looked Karin would be ready to leave home soon. It helped that childhood was much shorter in her new life. An eight year old striking out on her own wasn't all that strange, not like it would have been in Michaela's culture.

Still, even if Karin was almost positive she would leave home to continue her training, it could wait. She wasn't ready to do so quite so soon. Perhaps in a year or two, after her little brother or sister was born.

The thought of her unborn sibling brought a smile to Karin's lips. She had faint memories of younger brothers from her time as Michaela and wondered if her new sibling would be anything like them. She hoped so, the memories she had were fond ones.

"Karin!" A shout interrupted her reverie. The eight year old girl sat up and crossed her legs, calmly turning to face the boy she'd felt approaching from a distance.

"Hey Luka," she greeted. "What's up?"

Luka's smile twisted into a confused frown at the phrase, as it always did when she used slang from Michaela's language in her own. "The sky," he said impatiently, "Anyway, my mom says lunch is almost ready. She sent me to get you so you wouldn't miss it."

Karin jumped to her feet and rocked back and forth on her heels. "Great! I was just starting to get hungry," she shot Luka a sly grin, "D'you want to race back?"

Luka's eyes lit up. "Of course!" He _loved _competition. Of course, Karin never let him realize she purposefully lost three out of every five games they ever played.

The eight year old wasn't allowed to show anyone the results of her training and Michaela's experience told her winning all the time - even if she didn't win by much - would only make her friend resentful anyway. It was something Michaela had to learn the hard way and Karin was grateful to never have to experience firsthand.

Karin and Luka lined up, counted to three, and sped off in the direction of Luka's house. Karin made sure to never get too far ahead or behind Luka, only overtaking him completely in the last five meters.

"No fair," Luka huffed. "I," he paused to gulp more air, "Ran all the way to get you before we raced!"

"That's true," Karin agreed, not at all out of breath but doing her best to appear that way. She skipped up the steps and onto the white porch. "I guess we'll just have to have a rematch after lunch."

"I swear," a new voice interjected. "You're more like an older sister to Luka than Lisa ever was." Luka's mom stepped out of the house slowly, so as not to spill her tray of sandwiches.

Karin smiled sheepishly. It was always the adults who noticed she was different, other kids just thought she was fun to play with. Only the grown-ups realized how unusual it was for a child to always be a good sport, to always be patient with her friends, and to always do well in her studies. They'd never guess the truth, but it was generally agreed upon that Karin was exceptionally mature for a child her age.

"Hey!" Luka glared at his mom. "I'm the older one! That means I'm Karin's older brother!"

"Right, of course," his mom agreed easily. "How silly of me!" The last was said with a playful wink in Karin's direction. Karin couldn't help laughing in response. She loved Luka's family - they were almost constantly teasing the boy with sarcasm and jokes that went above his painfully literal head. Even his older sister had joined in - before she married and moved to a neighboring town. Being included in their family bonding made Karin feel welcomed, and _loved_.

"Have you heard from my parents?"

Luka's mom nodded as she set the tray down. "I did," she said. "Their letter was delivered just a few hours ago. I didn't open it, I figured you would want to when you got back. Should I go get it?"

"Yes please," Karin gave the woman a bright smile, "And thank you."

"No problem dear, I'll be right back."

Karin and Luka dug into the sandwiches while they waited for his mom to return. Luka was on his second and Karin her third when she finally returned. "Sorry, I'd forgotten where I left it."

"It's no problem," Karin reassured the woman absently. After setting her sandwich down and wiping her hands Karin took the small scroll and unraveled it carefully. She smiled brightly when she recognized her dad's neat, looping letters - it reminded her of cursive, the more formal writing form from Michaela's life. There were no alternate forms of Karin's written language, but one could make their writing appear fancier with the kinds of flourishes Kaito habitually added.

_Karin,_

_I hope this letter finds you happy and well. Your mother and I reached Tabu a day ahead of schedule and we've already scheduled an appointment with the same doctor that delivered you. Our room is small, but cozy, and your mother seems to have finally relaxed, now that the traveling part is over and done with. If all goes as planned the baby will arrive in two months and we'll be back in three. We'll be sure to send weekly letters from now on. Be sure to thank Luka's parents for us and don't forget to brush your teeth!_

_Love,_

_Kaito and Chiaki_

The letter was brief, but enough to dispel any lingering worry. Karin had feared what would happen should bandits go after her parents, especially with her mom in such a delicate state.

"They're alright," Karin told Luka and his mom. "They arrived in Tabu early and have already gotten settled in."

"That's wonderful," Luka's mom said. "Would you like me to send a response?"

Karin shook her head. "That's alright. We talked about it beforehand and decided just to send letters one way since it's so expensive."

"Are you sure, Karin? I wouldn't mind paying for at least a few letters."

"I'm sure, but thanks for the offer. My parents know I'll be alright. Besides, nothing ever happens around here anyway," Karin said with a laugh.

* * *

Karin woke with a start and sat up quickly, breathing hard. She didn't remember what she'd been dreaming about, but something told her that wasn't what had jolted her into consciousness. A glance to her left showed that Luka was still fast asleep so it hadn't been him...

Curious, and already too awake to go back to sleep, Karin clambered down from her cot and tip-toed out of Luka's bedroom. Once in the hall she gently shut Luka's door and spent a moment listening for anything unusual. Aside from the usual sounds of nature and gentle snoring coming from Luka's parents' room, she didn't notice anything loud or strange enough to startle her from her sleep.

_I must have imagined it,_ Karin decided reluctantly.

Resigned to a long night and even longer day, Karin crept into the kitchen and sat down with a glass of water. She'd never realized how much she relied on the comfort of her parents' presences until they left. Even when her father left to trade with larger towns and cities, Karin had always had her mom to burn brightly in her chakra sense. Without any family members around, the eight year old felt like the only light amongst shadows. She loved her town and the people who lived there, but no one's chakra was anywhere near as immense or free-flowing as that of Karin's family.

_It's lonely_, Karin thought with a sad smile. _To be the only one to feel energy the way I do._

She didn't care if she never met another person who could sense the way she did, but Karin wanted to be around those who understood the wonder of chakra. Those who at least felt it within themselves, even if they couldn't feel it in the world around them. It was one of the main reasons why she wanted to travel. So that she could meet others, feel them the way she'd always been able to feel her parents. Her father had told her no one would show up in her senses quite like a fellow Uzumaki, but chakra-users and shinobi would still be more substantial in her mind's eye than any civilian.

It hadn't been something Karin noticed right away. The way that she longed to _feel_ people the same way others longed to see, hear, and speak with them. Her father had tried to train her to shut the sense out, but to Karin, that was like stumbling with her eyes covered; possible, but far from comfortable.

Karin's dad listened to her when she explained how she felt and helped her figure things out. Together, the two of them came to the conclusion that unlike Kaito, who's chakra-sensing was an extra ability, Karin's sensing was fully developed and as natural to her as her other five senses. They also came to discover that while Karin could pick up on emotions and hints of personality through her sixth sense, civilians didn't have enough chakra for Karin to feel them as fully as she did her own parents. It was black and white compared to color, in her mind. If given the choice, Karin didn't think many people would choose to live in a black and white world.

Still, her little world was familiar. And she loved Luka and his family with all her heart, though she knew she'd always be reaching for a deeper connection than what she could get with their underdeveloped chakra systems.

Karin swirled her water in her glass lethargically, debating with herself over whether or not it would be worth it to try to get back to sleep. _A few hours might make it easier to make it through the d- What's that?! _Startled, Karin dropped her drink and jumped to her feet. The glass clattered, splashing water onto the tabletop, but thankfully didn't break.

_Could this be what a fight feels like? _Karin wondered with a full-body shudder. _It's horrible..._

At the very edge of her chakra-sense, she could feel a gathering of strangers. Right away Karin identified them as shinobi. It was pretty obvious, considering she could feel them depleting their chakra into what she assumed were ninjutsu techniques. Each individual chakra system was full of dark twisting emotions like anger, pain, and fear. She had to pull away from her sense a little just to avoid experiencing those emotions herself.

_What's happening? What are shinobi doing so close to our town? There's nothing around for at least 15 kilometers in any direction, so where'd they come from?_

A single signature - that of a young adult male - flickered before disappearing completely, with all their remaining chakra dispersing into the air around them. It actually took Karin a moment to process this and what it meant.

_NonononoNO! _When Karin came to she was on all fours and coughing up bile. Thoroughly disgusted, she scrambled to her feet and backed away from the pile of sick. She was mildly surprised she hadn't actually woken anyone up with the sounds she'd been making. Cautiously, Karin focused once more on the fight at the edge of her senses. It had barely been two minutes since the man... died, yet almost twenty more signatures were now within her range. She recoiled in muted horror when three more blinked out one after another.

_Are they getting closer? I don't want to feel this anymore! Make it stop! Go away! _Karin clutched at her head and gave a low moan as the battle drew closer, not able to think past her shock and revulsion. It wasn't until Luka's signature twitched in his sleep that she realized what their approach meant. _Everyone's in danger!  
_

"AUNTIE! UNCLE! WAKE UP!" Karin ran down the hall and threw their bedroom door open. "GET UP! GET UP NOW!"

"Karin?" The couple sat up in bed and squinted towards the girl through the dark room. "What's going on? Are you and Luka al–"

"There's no time! Get up and help me start evacuating the town! A shinobi battle's happening just east of us and they're headed this way!" She didn't wait for an answer, instead running for Luka's room. "Luka! Get up!" She ripped the blankets from his bed and yanked the boy to his feet.

"Wha–"

"Not now Luka! Follow your parents," she barked impatiently at the boy before turning and nearly running into his mother.

"Karin! What's going on?! Are you sure you didn't have a nightmare?" The middle-aged woman's hair was disheveled from sleep and she wore only a pale green robe with matching slippers.

Unsure if she'd be believed when no one outside of her family knew about her sensing ability, Karin closed her eyes in frustration and clenched her fists. "It. was. not. a. nightmare." A deep breath calmed her down and she continued with much less venom and a great deal more urgency. "I couldn't sleep so I went outside and there was this man and he told me I had to tell everyone to escape while they could because he'd barely made it away from the battle and he said there was so much pain and death and they could kill us all just for getting in their way and–"

"Karin! Karin that's enough! I believe you," the woman whispered with wide eyes. The eight year old tried not to grimace. Lying was something she'd been working on with her parents for a while; they wouldn't let her leave home before she could talk her way out of bad situations. It wasn't something any of them enjoyed, but it _was_ necessary. Without lies Karin's family would have been picked off years ago and it was just as imperative that she lie now. An emergency meant there wasn't enough time to convince the rest of the town - she had to say whatever got them out the fastest.

"I'm not sure how long until the battle reaches us," Karin admitted as she picked up her bag from Luka's bedroom floor. She had only the barest of necessities inside since she'd been planning on running back to her house for anything else she'd need during her stay.

"Then we'll have to assume the worst," Luka's dad said, alerting Karin to his lingering presence. _I need to focus,_ Karin realized. _I didn't even notice him. Getting distracted now could mean our lives._

"Karin, you said the battle was to the east correct?" She nodded. "Okay. Ana, take Luka and Karin and wait for me on the western road. I'll start alerting the others."

"I can help," Karin said before he could leave. When the dark-haired man went to tell her no she cut him off before he could speak. "I mean it. I won't do anything dangerous. All I want to do is help you alert the others, I'll run as fast as I can and meet with your family if things get too dangerous."

Luka's dad frowned, but didn't immediately refuse. "...Fine. But you'll stay to the west and warn only a few at a time. Tell them to let their neighbors know and move on."

"Yes sir," Karin said. She knew he'd only agreed because he needed help and this way none of his immediate family would be in danger. He might care about her, but nowhere near as much as he did about his wife and children. Karin could tell that Luka's mom saw it too, if the way she hugged Karin tightly was anything to go by. Luka stayed silent, clearly too frightened to really pay attention to what was going on.

"Be careful, dear. Promise me you'll run away if anything happens." The eight year old gave a quick, but sincere promise and darted away after flashing Luka a smile he didn't respond to.

It was dark, so Karin almost immediately started channeling chakra into her limbs. Hopefully, if any of the townsfolk noticed her unnatural speed they'd chalk it up to adrenalin. If not, well, it was an emergency; her secret wasn't worth innocent lives.

Her house and Luka's were on the northern edges of Alberi so she took off towards her right, planning on making it all the way to the southernmost edge before meeting up with Luka and his mom. _At least with my sensing I'll be able to make sure I don't miss anyone._

Karin sprinted from house to house, only spending enough time at each to convince the families they had to leave as quickly as possible. She made sure to say Luka's dad had sent her first and foremost, which lent credibility to her story. Not that she really needed it; most would assume something like that were the case without her saying so. Even if they didn't, once the words 'shinobi battle' left her mouth people didn't really care for details. She wasn't known to be a liar and with something so serious you'd rather err on the side of caution. The adults all remembered the wars and even now, there were still tales of how entire regions were wiped out just for the misfortune of being in the way.

Karin shamelessly used those facts to her advantage and reached her final house when the shinobi were still eight kilometers out. "Take only what you absolutely must," she said to the older couple. "Your lives are more important than any material goods."

"Don't worry m'dear," the woman assured with a wrinkly smile. "We've done this before. We know how it works." Her husband grunted in agreement as he pulled two large packs from the closet just beyond their front door.

"Old habits die hard," he said in a gruff voice.

Karin smiled at them, relieved. In her chakra sense she could tell that most of the other people she'd warned were either moving towards or had already reached the western gate. Thankfully, most families had carts or wagons for travel, which made leaving town easier. Those with horses and oxen were sharing so that everyone had an animal to pull them along. It was a win-win situation considering the farmers loaning their livestock could be assured they'd still have their animals despite anything that happened to the town and the other townspeople were able to get out safely.

Instead of immediately heading to meet with Luka and his mom after watching the couple reach the road, Karin took off as fast as she could for her house. The fight was drawing closer, not yet close enough to see or hear - even with her trained senses, but close enough that she only had a short while to gather what she could. She was beyond glad that her parents were always prepared to leave town on short notice. It had always seemed overly paranoid to Karin, but now she saw it for what it was worth. _Anything can happen - being able to leave at a moment's notice might just be what saves you in the long run._

She fumbled for a moment with the house key tied around her neck, but eventually managed to get it off and unlock the door. After that, it took a matter of minutes to grab the scrolls her parents had hidden behind the books in the bookcase. Each one was keyed to three chakra signatures, so they would only open to Karin or her parents. Within them was money, survival gear, clothing, and whatever else they thought was necessary. Karin stuffed them into her backpack and slung it back over her shoulder.

Not bothering to lock the door behind her, Karin started to run only to stop before she'd gone more than a few steps. _Not everyone's out of the village yet,_ she thought with mounting horror. _There are still groups on the east side of town... _The shinobi were dangerously close by now, close enough that she suspected she'd soon be able to hear the sounds of their battle. _Damn it! I was hoping they'd change direction, but they're headed right for us!_

The eight year old clenched her fists and debated furiously with herself. _I can move and jump like a shinobi, but that's it - I don't know how to fight or use ninjutsu. Even if I go over there, I won't be able to help. _And that hurt her pride more than she'd like to admit. Ever since her dad had started training her, Karin had reveled in the fact that she could do what most others couldn't. She _liked _being faster and stronger than the average civilian. _Liked _having a secret that set her apart from (and maybe even above) others. _Compared to those shinobi though,_ she thought with resignation, _I'm a nobody. For all that I have more chakra than most, if I don't know how to use it against them it means less than nothing._

For so long, years even, Karin had thought of herself as powerful. Intellectually she knew she wasn't - not compared to the people she knew were out there. But knowing something intellectually was a far cry from truly _knowing_ something. If this battle hadn't threatened, Karin would have gone on feeling like the biggest kid on the playground until the day she left home to see the world.

_While the wake-up call is appreciated, I would have preferred _any_ other method but this! _The shinobi had reached the outermost edge of Alberi's eastern district. Standing just outside her house, Karin could see the flickering orange glow that spoke of fire and explosions. The scent of smoke was faint on the air and chakra signatures were disappearing in droves. _Everyone townsperson left on the eastern side is running west to escape the shinobi. I-I don't think they'll all make it..._

Resolutely, Karin turned her back on the battle and started running.

* * *

_**A/N: **Okay, so that concludes chapter 3! I had a lot of trouble finishing this and might go back and change it later, but for now this is how I'll leave it (so that I can get on with the story). Just to be clear, Michaela had no knowledge of Naruto at the time of her death. What she did have was technological, scientific, political, and social understanding well beyond that of most of those in the Elemental Nations. It'll come in handy later on._

_Anyway, please read and review:) _

_P.S. I have a poll up on my profile where you can vote for which SI I'll start next. Those SI/OC-inserts would be different in that the characters would know canon for their respective universes - which means it'll be fun to mess with them! Please vote for whichever you'd most like to see written._


	4. Undertaking

_**A/N: **Chapter four of Breathe Your Last!_

* * *

If Karin thought it was horrible, feeling the life drain out of the shinobi destroying her village, it was a million times worse to feel her fellow townspeople fade.

Some went suddenly, dying with so little warning that Karin failed to detect anything beyond shock in their last moments. Others were not so fortunate. Karin could feel the _anger-disbelief-fear-sadness _take over as everything that made them who they were dimmed and died. To be able to sense, with startling clarity, the exact moment when the elderly woman who'd always given you sweets realized she was dying was _torture_, plain and simple. Of course, the self-pity Karin felt only served to make her guiltier. She had turned her back on these people, the ones left behind, without so much as trying to aid them._  
_

She knew, objectively, she probably wouldn't have been able to do anything to help, but the voice in the back of her mind thought otherwise. '_How do you know?' _It asked her. '_Wouldn't saving even one life be worth it - be better than doing absolutely nothing?'_

_I didn't do nothing! _Karin argued. _I helped evacuate the town. I did all I could do without risking my life._

_'That's just it,' _the voice whispered, _'You refuse to risk your life. You, who already lived once, won't put your life on the line for those who only have this life to live.'_

The words echoed hauntingly in Karin's mind even as she refused to continue arguing with herself. She instead chose to focus intensely upon the signatures of everyone who'd made it out thanks to her warning. Their chakra burned brightly, comfortingly, in her extra sense, regardless of the abundance of negative emotion.

The people around Karin were all terrified despite the growing distance between them and their burning town. When she'd first reached the group, Alberi's residents had been gathered in a long line on the western road. Friends and neighbors had huddled together to speak in hushed whispers. _"Do you think it's true?" "My mother and father were killed in the Third War." "Why do shinobi destroy everything?"_

Still somewhat dazed, Karin had shuffled to the front of the line to join Luka and his mother. She'd settled in quickly, letting the low hum of conversation and the anxious watch for more evacuees distract her from the selfish decision she'd made.

The quiet murmur had quickly turned to horrified silence when the first group from the eastern side reached them. Clearly, the battling shinobi had spared no thought for civilian casualties, not that Karin had assumed they would. The injured were hastily treated and laid down in wagons with the extra space to hold them. The survivors had been anxious to leave after that, but the majority were unwilling to actually go without waiting for as many of their fellow townspeople as possible. Apparently, Karin wasn't the only one suffering survivor's guilt.

Eventually though, they'd had to cut their losses and get away before the battling shinobi could reach them. Luka's dad, Alan, had been among the last to make it out. He had a deep gash across his bicep, but he'd live; which was more than Karin could say for some. _No, don't think about it,_ she told herself. _You can't do anything now._

Karin glanced beside her. Luka was sprawled across the bench with a quilt thrown over him, breathing steadily. She wished desperately to be able to fall asleep like that, but all she could think about was the danger they were in, the lives lost, and how guilty she was. Even if she did manage to drift off, Karin doubted anything but nightmares awaited her.

God, now that she was thinking about it she couldn't stop. If hazy memories of a past life and scary stories could prompt eerie dreams and fear, then actual tragedy would be many times worse. She just _knew _she'd be seeing death and destruction whenever she closed her eyes in the near future.

"Karin, are you alright?" Luka's mom asked just as a full-body shudder ripped through the eight year old at the dark turn her thoughts had taken. The woman had turned around in her seat to face Karin, only her pale face visible in the early morning darkness. "You've been awfully quiet. I know you said you were fine earlier, but you haven't slept or spoken since we left."

"I am," Karin said dully. Feeling the Ana's disbelief she tried again. "Really," she assured the worried mother, "I'm just worried"_guilty_"about the rest of the town."

Even in the dark, Karin could see Ana's pained grimace. Clearly the woman knew what usually happened in a situations like this and didn't know how to respond. Shinobi and chakra users gave entirely new meaning to the words 'collatoral damage.'

"All we can do is pray to the gods they'll be alright and keep moving so that we stay that way as well." Alan's firm voice cut through what would have been an awkward silence. He was seated at the front of the small wagon, steering the horses along the road and leading the rest of the townspeople farther west. "There's no point dwelling on uncertainties."

"He's right," Ana agreed. She sounded less unsure, less frightened, after her husband's proclamation. The two really were an ideal couple, Karin thought idly. Where Alan was stern and serious, Ana was bright and compassionate. When they were together, Alan lost his aura of solemnity and Ana gained a confidence she usually lacked. At their cores, they both cared fiercely for their children and had unshakable morals.

Karin suddenly found herself swallowing back tears. Her parents weren't anything like Luka's in looks or personality, but the depth of their relationship and the co-dependence was gut-wrenchingly familiar. Though she was unsure of what she'd say when she did actually face them, all Karin could think about was running into their arms and letting them protect her from the world - she didn't want to deal with it anymore._  
_

Before she could truly start to sob (and worry Ana any further than she already had), Karin slumped in her seat and pulled a blanket over her head. The others would think her asleep and leave her be, giving Karin the opportunity to sink into an unthinking meditative state. She didn't want to contemplate recent events. And she most certainly didn't want to dream about them either. Her shock was restricting the intensity of her emotions, but it wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later, she'd have to face this.

Karin chose later.

* * *

Due either to her own stubborn nature or a sympathetic higher power, Karin's breakdown didn't occur until she'd wandered off to be alone the evening after Alberi's survivors made it to the nearest settlement. Everyone else was too busy getting in touch with loved ones or planning the eventual reconstruction to notice her disappearance.

Still somewhat in a daze but knowing her brief reprieve was drawing to a close, Karin had walked casually to the edge of the village and slipped away into the tall grasses. The true hysteria and panic she'd managed to avoid for so long bubbled towards the surface. In fact, she'd barely made it out of hearing range when the first scream left her.

Karin wasn't entirely sure what followed. All she knew was that, judging by the tear-tracks on her face and the scratchiness of her throat, it involved an abundance of shouting and sobbing. On the bright side, she finally felt like herself again, albeit an emotionally spent and utterly exhausted version of herself. Still, she'd take what she could get.

Her breakdown had actually lessoned a lot of her guilt, since she'd finally been able to contemplate the events of that night in their entirety. Oh, she knew she was still a coward for running away at the end, but she was glad she'd had the sense to warn the others. It was thanks to her that so many got out. Without her and her extra sense, Alberi's townspeople likely wouldn't have known of the incoming battle until it was too late. It was a small consolation, but better than nothing.

She sat up gingerly, rubbing away the wetness on her cheeks. A quick check with her mind's eye showed no one had come to look for her yet so she lay back in the grass, finally ready to think about what she was going to do next. _I can't stay here, not by myself._ Most of her fellow townspeople would do so, wanting to remain close for when they inevitably returned home to rebuild. It was admirable - Karin didn't think the people from her old life would have been brave enough to return, not after such a trajedy. In truth, the people she'd met in her current life seemed much more resilient (that, or the recent and devastating wars had left their mark). The general attitude seemed to be: _'Shit happens. Get over it.'_

Karin didn't have that option. She was sure either Luka's parents or one of her other neighbors would be willing to take her in, but she couldn't accept. It had been fine to stay with Luka and his family when everything was normal, but she didn't think it would be healthy to do so with her current mental state. Knowledge from both her lives told Karin that grieving was best done with those who understood you. How could she go about explaining her guilt when those around her didn't even know about her sensing ability, let alone her knowledge of another life?

_I need to find my parents,_ Karin thought resolutely. Not just to let them know she was fine (for when they inevitably heard of Alberi's fate) and bask in their unconditional love and support, but to let them know of her decision. Her helplessness, rather than scaring her away from the shinobi path, had inspired her.

_I want - no, I _need_ to make a difference. _

Uzumaki lived incredibly long lives. If she worked hard and made the right sort of connections, Karin had a real chance at making that difference. Maybe one day shinobi would be held to a higher standard. Maybe one day, political leaders would learn to compromise without resorting to violence. Maybe one day, no one would ever have to 'get over' the tragic loss of a loved one.

* * *

"What do you mean you're leaving?!" Luka was the one to speak, but both Ana and Alan looked as though they'd very much like to hear the answer to the question as well.

"I'm going to travel with the Bano family towards the capital and break off in Tyoshi, since Tabu is just a few miles north. I've already asked and they agreed just this morning."

"Can't you write a letter?" Ana asked. "We'd pay for its delivery."

Karin shook her head. "I know my parents. They led... difficult lives before they settled down and had me," she admitted. "They'll want to see me in person as soon as possible. Besides," she continued. "I miss them. I don't want to wait the remaining month and a half to see them or my new sibling."

Ana had subsided and Alan looked thoughtful. Clearly, they sympathized with her reasoning. Before they could come up with an alternative solution Karin ploughed on, "It's not that I don't appreciate you opening your home to me - it's just... They're my parents, my _family_."

A long pause followed. "If you're sure..." Alan said at last. He rose to his feet, "I'm going to speak with Jae, I'll have to discuss some things with him before you leave."

Karin nodded her acceptance, hardly daring to believe her luck. She was prepared to leave the room after him, but something a lot like resolve settled in Ana's signature. That, and Luka was radiating anger. Karin winced, he was too young for her reasoning to mean anything to him. He simply couldn't empathize.

Ana waited for her husband's footsteps to fade away before stepping forward. "Karin, I know you're not going to change your mind about this, and for good reason," she added. "But I want you to be careful - the world isn't like Alberi. People aren't going to stop and help you when they see you, you'll have to look out for yourself."

"I know," she told Ana. "Really. But I can't stay here. I need them."

"I understand - family is important," Ana said. Karin smiled at the woman who, despite not knowing the entire situation, still managed to say something that applied. Truly, the woman had a gift for saying the right thing when she offered comfort.

Karin gave a deep bow. "Thank you auntie," she said sincerely.

Ana waved her off. "None of that, Karin." She managed to sound playfully stern despite her blush. "I've got to help the others get ready. The capital's sending a group to protect us on our way back to Alberi, there's even been word that they'll help with reconstruction." The woman tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. "In the meantime, I'll leave you with Luka - I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about."

"Right," Karin said weakly.

Luka waited for his mother to depart much like his mother had done for her husband. Then, at last, he turned on Karin. "You can't leave."

"Luka, I-" she was interrupted.

"No. You can't leave," he repeated. "You're supposed to stay with us until your parents come back with the baby."

"Luka, what happened back home... That was scary right?" Luka nodded uncertainly, thrown by the seemingly random question. "Weren't you glad to have your parents there to help you?"

Luka frowned. "Yeah, but we're safe now. You don't need them now that you're not upset."

_'He's only a child. He's only a child. He's only a child...' _ "But I am still upset," Karin told her friend patiently. "Just because I'm not crying doesn't mean I'm not upset."

"But what about me?" Luka's bottom lip had started to tremble and Karin had to forcefully stop her own from doing the same. "Aren't you going to miss _me_?"

"Of course, Luka!" Karin assured him quickly. "But I'll come back. I'll introduce you to my new brother or sister and it'll be like I was never gone in the first place."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

**A/N:** _I had to split this chapter in half because I couldn't find a good stopping point, so expect chapter 5 within the month!_


End file.
